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Midwest ticks show signs of ‘Heartland virus’

While a type of tick-borne disease known as Heartland virus appears to be extremely rare — only two cases in humans have been reported so far — a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that it is lurking in ticks in northwestern Missouri. “If these two cases represent the severe end, then there may be many other milder cases that are going undiagnosed,” said UTMB’s Dr. Lucas Blanton. “Until more patients are studied, I do not think we know the full implications of this virus.” Blanton said physicians should consider possible infection with Heartland virus if the tick-borne disease it mimics — ehrlichiosis — fails to improve when antibiotics are given. The HealthDay article also appears in U.S. News and World Report, the Doctors Lounge and Drugs.com. In a MedPage Today article, UTMB’s Dr. David Walker said field research is essential to stay “one step ahead of what could become another serious health threat carried by ticks.”